About My Internship

HAPPYIAN LLC

The site that I have been interning for is Happyian LLC which has a clinic located at 9950 Lawrence Ave, Schiller Park, Illinois. 

POPULATION

Happyian LLC provides holistic Behavioral Therapy (ABA), serving individuals throughout infancy all the way till adulthood. I have had the opportunity to work with clients as young as 5 years old and reaching the age of 13 years old. The primary population that Happyian serves are individuals with developmental disabilities, including individuals with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, adults on the spectrum, and individuals with ADHD. Happyian provides services in both English and Polish and continues to serve a diverse population. Services are offered in client's homes, in the clinic, at school, and at community outings.  

SERVICES

The site that I intern for provides a variety of services; however, it focuses on one-on-one Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy. ABA is a scientifically based approach that helps develop essential skills and reduce challenging behaviors, focusing on improving social interactions, emotional regulation, and daily living skills through individualized intervention plans. ABA therapy uses evidence-based techniques such as positive reinforcement and natural environment teaching to help teach individuals new skills. Happyian emphasizes parental involvement and provides services such as family counseling sessions. 

The primary activities that my site conducts are in home and in clinic sessions with clients, working on social skills, teaching them new skills such as reading and writing, expanding tolerance to new activities and foods, practicing coping skills and decreasing inappropriate behaviors, play skills, language skills, and many other activities. My site focuses on community outings and allows each client to explore on their own whether it has been through group trips to the pool, to the library, or to different social events and parties. I have also had the opportunity to go to school a couple of times a week with one of my clients, allowing the client to have someone advocate for them when needed and support them throughout the school day. Happyian also provides tutoring sessions, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, parent training, Occupational Therapy services, and seasonal camps.  

SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

Throughout my time as an intern at Happyian, I have gained immense knowledge and valuable skills. One of the skills that I have always struggled to have before this internship experience is patience. Working with young individuals and being able to witness the progress that each one of my clients has made motivates me to be patient and take things one step at a time. For example, if I am working on a target with a client such as potty training, I understand that it is not a simple task for a young person to master. However, without patience, progress could not be made, and the client would never be able to learn valuable skills if they do not have a supportive and patient team of therapists. 

Prior to becoming an intern, I had very little knowledge of what ASD is and what a developmental disability can be. I have learned a wide variety of skills: clinical and therapeutic skills such as collecting and analyzing data and running trials, behavioral management and crisis intervention such as maintaining a calm and safe environment, professional and ethical skills such as adhering to standards in ABA therapy, as well as enhancing leadership skills, adapting to work within diverse environments, and gaining mentorship and guidance. This would not be possible without the support of therapists and supervisors at Happyian.